1957, Old Woodbine (later called Greenwood) Hot July night, I was 15, hopped the fence and bet a $6 combine on Kalmuck Direct driven and owned by Ken Galbraith from Tara ON. He won and I collected $16. Hooked ever since!

Thats a great story Franco! Did they eventually make that into a off track betting place?Or is Greenwood off track betting somewhere else?

Do you ever get to the other Canadian tracks?I always wanted to try and get to Clinton Raceway....never happened...

Speedy Crown beats Une De Mai who was going for his third International Trot win and trying to make it 2 in a row. My whole family had a table at the Cloud Casino and me and my brother thought we were royalty .It was also the first time I ever had a shrimp cocktail. It' s funny how I can still remember that night like it was yesterday .My uncle was a trainer there and in 1984 he had a pacer that he converted into a trotter who got third that year in the internatinal trot . Horse's name was Crown Wood.That was just after Ideal de Gazaeu had won three years in a row.

Good times...good times.

Great story Racepony. The night you are speaking about was the same first night I went to the track also (RR)! I did not go to the Cloud, however, I was in the packed clubhouse and my Dad bought seats which were the section next to the owners boxes so they were a little past the finish line.I loved Crown Wood BTW, he won many races from the 8 hole which was not an easy feat!

1957, Old Woodbine (later called Greenwood) Hot July night, I was 15, hopped the fence and bet a $6 combine on Kalmuck Direct driven and owned by Ken Galbraith from Tara ON. He won and I collected $16. Hooked ever since!

Mention of the Greenwood track reminded me of a picture I had posted of this track. Here it is again

First time was 1965 a cold night at Roosevelt. I was 13 and had been to Aquaduct but that was first time to "the trotters." That tote board with the wps possible payoffs was unlike any other. First race I bet a horse driven by Frank Popfinger that paid $20.20.

Early 70's, Monticello during the summer. Grandstand 100% full. Bet on one side and if you won you cashed on another side. All of the windows were about 20-30 people deep. And you could get an ice cream something you can't anymore.

greenwood was one of the best places to race at in the summertime. walk to the beach, a trolley car ride down queens blvd. right into downtown toronto. great track kitchen. here's a story, raced a good invite horse for Ronny waples one night named Holland. when you were in the front paddock you had a small pathway you had to walk to get to the track for the post parade. the fans were all lined up along the rails just abusing waples. things like you stiffing c@#ks$%#$r,non driving piece of chit, and so on. it was pretty bad. I'm at the horses head and Ronny says to me "they love me here". i chuckled a little but the obscenities just kept coming. the starters says go and waples comes three deep off the last turn with Holland and cruises by to victory. Ronny and i are coming out of the winner circle and i swear it was the the same guys, they start screaming at Ronny. "your the best waples", "great drive Ronny", "way to go waples we crushed it" and so on. waples turns to me and says, " see, i told you they love me here". i still get a chuckle remembering that story when somebody mentions greenwood.

Two lousey tellers and I actually got shut out a few months ago there. One window was busy with the teller cashing a check and the other had a guy who was doing his handicapping at the window. The self serve machines wouldn't take cash. I think they fixed that. I used to like the place, now it makes me sick to go there.

greenwood was one of the best places to race at in the summertime. walk to the beach, a trolley car ride down queens blvd. right into downtown toronto. great track kitchen. here's a story, raced a good invite horse for Ronny waples one night named Holland. when you were in the front paddock you had a small pathway you had to walk to get to the track for the post parade. the fans were all lined up along the rails just abusing waples. things like you stiffing c@#ks$%#$r,non driving piece of chit, and so on. it was pretty bad. I'm at the horses head and Ronny says to me "they love me here". i chuckled a little but the obscenities just kept coming. the starters says go and waples comes three deep off the last turn with Holland and cruises by to victory. Ronny and i are coming out of the winner circle and i swear it was the the same guys, they start screaming at Ronny. "your the best waples", "great drive Ronny", "way to go waples we crushed it" and so on. waples turns to me and says, " see, i told you they love me here". i still get a chuckle remembering that story when somebody mentions greenwood.

Years ago when I would go to the A with friends they would do that to Angel Cordero every race. If he lost with a favorite or won with a bomb and beat thier number it would get nuts.

greenwood was one of the best places to race at in the summertime. walk to the beach, a trolley car ride down queens blvd. right into downtown toronto. great track kitchen. here's a story, raced a good invite horse for Ronny waples one night named Holland. when you were in the front paddock you had a small pathway you had to walk to get to the track for the post parade. the fans were all lined up along the rails just abusing waples. things like you stiffing c@#ks$%#$r,non driving piece of chit, and so on. it was pretty bad. I'm at the horses head and Ronny says to me "they love me here". i chuckled a little but the obscenities just kept coming. the starters says go and waples comes three deep off the last turn with Holland and cruises by to victory. Ronny and i are coming out of the winner circle and i swear it was the the same guys, they start screaming at Ronny. "your the best waples", "great drive Ronny", "way to go waples we crushed it" and so on. waples turns to me and says, " see, i told you they love me here". i still get a chuckle remembering that story when somebody mentions greenwood.

Great story swoops ! But all of your stories are just the best!Miss them so much they ate treasures!

Ps met Pam at fern dale this year it's still magical and packed like the ol days!

greenwood was one of the best places to race at in the summertime. walk to the beach, a trolley car ride down queens blvd. right into downtown toronto. great track kitchen. here's a story, raced a good invite horse for Ronny waples one night named Holland. when you were in the front paddock you had a small pathway you had to walk to get to the track for the post parade. the fans were all lined up along the rails just abusing waples. things like you stiffing c@#ks$%#$r,non driving piece of chit, and so on. it was pretty bad. I'm at the horses head and Ronny says to me "they love me here". i chuckled a little but the obscenities just kept coming. the starters says go and waples comes three deep off the last turn with Holland and cruises by to victory. Ronny and i are coming out of the winner circle and i swear it was the the same guys, they start screaming at Ronny. "your the best waples", "great drive Ronny", "way to go waples we crushed it" and so on. waples turns to me and says, " see, i told you they love me here". i still get a chuckle remembering that story when somebody mentions greenwood.

While Green Mountain was not the first of the more than 115 tracks (t-bred, harness, quarterhorse, and greyhound) I have visited, it brings back some of the fondest memories. Saturday day-night doubleheaders, Kim Crawford at 17 driving Rebel Aaron and matching up against the Jim Doherty-driven Foxboro shipper Miami Beach; Irvin Foster winning the Open Trot almost every week; 2:40 miles in the mud, or 2:00 miles for the shortened 3/4 mile dashes during the Spring thaw; a very decent announcer Tony Butler; making the 320 mile round-trip from central Westchester with my father, and trying to tune in a Schenectady radio station (WGY ??) to grab late results to hear if we cashed; fog on the Taconic State Parkway; 8 YO maidens going for $ 600 purses. Trot-Pace Opens when the top classes were short. Sunday programs freshly printed with all the Saturday afternoon and evening results.

Had I been an owner then, I would have been dismayed by the purses and the conditions. But it was a different time, and I can conjure up Summertime/Fall memories of Hinsdale as well.

one sunday afternoon we had one in the first at green mountain and 9th at monticello. road trip ......saw them both in person... bet the vikings and lost to the cowboys in the playoffs. listened to the game on the radio when we could pull the station. drew pearson.....fran tarkington. those were the days.

I had two that were in on the same day at Finger Lakes (Mike Ferraro was the trainer). I had plans to fly up there with my dad and spend the day, because both horses were live and Mike liked them a lot. He says to me, "come up today and get your picture taken twice."

My dad, being the old, stubborn and cheap Italian that he is says to me, "We are wasting our time. Let's just go to OTB and watch it so we don't spend all that money or ruin a good day." (flights were $40 each way and I was paying) . I, being the loser that I am , actually listen to him and we go over to the local OTB.

Sure enough, the first horse wins by 10 lengths and pays $14.00. Then the second horse wins and pays $26.00 to break his maiden. There I was, sitting with the dregs of society at OTB pissed off that I wasn't there in person. My dad didn't come near me. I wanted to punch my father in the face for the first time in my life. (i didn't because he is my father).

Then...all the busted asses at OTB started asking me for money, like I was the king of Siam. I think they thought that I was given the purse checks right there, on the spot. We had to leave when a patron started to piss in the garbage can.

June 1966. Sportsman's Park. I had been there for T-breds often but never harness racing. No idea why I picked that night.

It was one week after Bret Hanover won the Am-Nat. The name Bret Hanover meant nothing to me, of course. But I was impressed by the race. A lot faster than most in the program. So I bet a horse who had raced against Bret, Silver Dawn Truax. Won at 5-1 beating heavily favored Tarport Prince.

Had another 5-1 winner that night, Little Al beating favored Layne Adios. Cashed a few smaller bets. Ended up $93.00 ahead for the night. That was FANTASTIC to me. I was making $1.85 an hour filing X-Rays at a medical clinic.